Sushi Sam's

I went to Sushi Sam's with my Mom and her friend when she was visiting me so we could go dress shopping. A good friend of hers had recommended this sushi restaurant in San Mateo, so we made reservations and went.

To be frank, the food was good but I wasn't blown away. The "chef's special" only included sushi unlike what we're used to with other culinary dishes besides sushi incorporated in for the whole meal experience. The sushi chef ordered some appetizer dishes for us, and they were all delicious. I will say though that the star was the sushi. The fish was fresh, well presented, and we ate some unique/rare items. My only complaint is that most of them had ponzu sauce on it which kept it the same flavor as well as hiding the natural flavor of the fresh fish a little. There was also a scallop with salt and lemon but it had toughened up a bit with the lemon on it for too long.

The other thing that hung me up about the place was the service. The sushi chef conversed with us, especially when it came to golf, but he would shout out orders often. We also were not told when our sushi specials were done and were waiting there for a while before we asked if that was it. We thought they were going to ask if we wanted any additional sushi or ask us about dessert, but we had to initiate both conversations. We had heard good things about their handmade desserts, so we tried 2 different kinds and my mom's friend was correct to say the desserts are delicious! The sushi chef's niece who is a waitress there makes the desserts that change from time to time. I got the kinako panna cotta with red bean sorbet, mochi balls, and fruit. Not too sweet, beautifully presented, and enough to share around.

I enjoyed the meal, but I left not completely satisfied for the price we paid. But again, maybe I'm too spoiled from Sushi Ota in San Diego that I absolutely adore :)